Man charged with shooting death of 13-year-old nephew at home on Chicago's South Side
A man has been arrested on child endangerment charges, accused of accidentally shooting and killing his 13-year-old nephew at his home in Englewood earlier this year.
Kemonte Rice, 25, has been charged with felony counts of child endangerment causing death and obstructing justice in the March 24 shooting death of Tawon Tribble Jr. inside Rice's home in the 500 block of West 65th Place.
Prosecutors said, around 5 p.m. that afternoon, the two were hanging out in a bedroom in Rice's home, when relatives inside the house heard a loud boom.
Tawon came out of the bedroom and yelled that a gun had gone off, before collapsing on the kitchen floor from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Tawon was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Rice told police and family members several different stories, including that Tawon had been playing with the gun, that he had told Tawon to unload the gun and clean the bullets, and that someone else had shot him.
Prosecutors said, after the shooting, Rice also hid the gun at his mother's house down the street.
Rice was questioned the day of the shooting and released without charges, but after a witness helped police find the gun, and ballistics tests were conducted on the weapon, Rice was arrested again on Monday, and admitted that the gun went off when he grabbed it from Tawon's lap.
A judge ordered rice held at Cook County Jail while he awaits trial. He's due back in court on June 10.
